1. Field of the Invention
The present invention mainly relates to an ophthalmologic image pickup system that performs image processing on images picked up by plural kinds of eye fundus cameras.
2. Related Background Art
Up to now, in an ophthalmologic apparatus such as an eye fundus camera that observes an eye fundus of an eye to be examined and picks up an image thereof or a slit lamp (slit lamp microscope) that observes an anterior segment of the eye and picks up an image thereof, a 35 mm-film or an instant camera is used as a recording member. In order to prevent an image reader from image-reading and diagnosing an eye to be image-picked-up in a state in which the top, the bottom, the right, and the left thereof are erroneously judged, an image pickup device is designed such that each film becomes the same composition.
On the other hand, in recent years, there has been proposed a system in which a CCD camera is connected and incorporated and a picked-up image of the eye to be examined is displayed on a screen and outputted to a recording device such as a magneto optical disk or a video printer. Therefore, according as digitization of the image progresses, image reverse, contrast adjustment, and light-and-dark adjustment are electronically performed on the picked-up image. Alternatively, a protrusion of an aperture mask provided in a silver-salt film so as to facilitate distinguishment of the eye to be image-picked-up is electronically synthesized.
According to an example disclosed in, for example, JP 10-179523 A, when the digital camera is connected with the ophthalmologic apparatus such as the eye fundus camera, the picked-up image is subjected to reverse processing and displayed. On the other hand, when it is not connected, the reverse processing is not performed.
According to a method disclosed in JP 07-124121 A, the shape of an aperture portion is stored as numerical data to reduce a necessary memory capacity.
Also, according to an apparatus that adds additional information to an electronic image and uses a resultant image, as disclosed in JP 2000-023918 A, information indicating whether or not an image is required to be stored during image pickup is inputted by an additional information input unit. After the completion of the image pickup, whether or not the image is deleted is determined based on the information inputted by the additional information input unit.
Further, when an image of the eye fundus of the eye to be examined is picked up by Fluorescein fundus angiography (hereinafter referred to as an “FAG image pickup”) using the eye fundus camera, it originally becomes a greenish color image. In general, because of ease of image reading, the greenish color image is converted into a white-and-black image, and γ characteristic adjustment and contrast processing are performed thereon for diagnosis. In addition, even in Indocyanine green angiography (hereinafter referred to as an “ICG image pickup”), similarly, the γ characteristic adjustment and the contrast processing are performed for diagnosis in many cases.
However, in order to prevent an image reader from image-reading and diagnosing the eye to be image-picked-up in a state in which the top, the bottom, the right, and the left thereof are erroneously judged, not all kinds of current ophthalmologic apparatuses are designed such that each film becomes the same composition. For example, as regards the aperture mask as well, there are various apparatuses; some apparatuses include a member but other apparatuses do not include the member.
Therefore, in order that the electronic image picked up by each ophthalmologic apparatus is captured, an image processing apparatus specialized to each ophthalmologic apparatus is required.
If a single image processing apparatus is used for all ophthalmologic apparatuses, a problem in which the operator needs to set necessary image processing for each ophthalmologic apparatus is caused. In addition, a fear that erroneous setting is performed by the operator cannot be eliminated.
Also, when the FAG image pickup is performed, the operator should perform operations such as conversion of color information into white-and-black information, setting of the γ characteristic, and contrast enhancement with respect to the picked up color electronic image using the image processing apparatus. Therefore, operation efficiency is low. Even in the ICG image pickup, operations other than the color information conversion are performed as in the FAG image pickup.